Digital generation gap

SINGAPORE - Arrived in this garden city from Kuala Lumpur where I had several meetings on the use of digital media for publishing and advertising, coinciding with the 11th Annual Forbes Magazine Global CEO conference in Malaysia. Malaysians had just also celebrated their 54th Independence Day with Prime Minister Najib Razak issuing a political surprise when he announced the repeal of the Internal Security Act. The ISA has long been a contentious issue with its draconian provisions  like detention without any charges for up to two years  that critics say have been used to muzzle dissent and threaten the political opposition.

Many Malaysians welcomed the announcement but not surprisingly, former Deputy Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed skepticism with the announcement seen as a mere ploy to prop Razak’s flagging popularity. According to Razak, two new laws will replace the ISA with “preventive suspension” only to be issued for terrorism-related cases  something akin to the Patriot Act in the US and UK.

Another sweeping reform announced by the Malaysian Prime Minister was the amendment of the strict law that requires media outlets to renew their licenses every year  something which has effectively kept newspapers from publishing news overly critical of the government. The amended media law, Razak promised, will now allow for one-time licensing of news outlets.

Like Malaysia, Singapore is also experiencing a political shift, underscored by the resignation of Singapore’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, as Minister Mentor. Analysts say this “watershed moment” is an offshoot of the recent parliamentary general election where Lee’s People’s Action Party won just 60 percent of the popular vote and the opposition Workers’ Party obtained six out of 87 contested seats. This may seem insignificant but the results are unprecedented for being the lowest winning margin ever by the PAP and the fact that in the past, the opposition never even had so much as a foot in the door. Lee knew the winds of change are upon his country, admitting that, “The time has come for a younger generation to carry Singapore forward in a more difficult and complex situation.”

Like Malaysia, Singapore has been under authoritarian rule with civil liberties allowed to a bare minimum, discouraging people with disparate political views from airing their sentiment. Most agree, however, that the “benevolent dictatorship” of Lee Kuan Yew and the totalitarian regime imposed by Malaysia’s rulers have resulted in astounding economic development and progress for these two countries. Singapore has been most impressive, with the tiny city-state emerging as one of the most economically developed and progressive nations in the world, whose citizens enjoy a much higher standard of living than most people  even those in the West.   

But the advent of digital technology opened up a floodgate of “rebellion” especially among the youth, who found the world of cyberspace a liberating venue where people could freely express their criticism, dissatisfaction and opposition at the way their countries are being run. Digital savvy young people found that they could keep their rural-based parents updated on what’s really happening in the political front, amplifying the dissatisfaction over such issues as freedom of speech and social liberties.

Information technology  specifically the Internet and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, Flickr, podcasts, videocasts, blogs, instant messages and other electronic/phone media  have been used by the political opposition to invite people to rallies, give unknown candidates more mileage and amplify their dissatisfaction over issues like immigration, reforms, income disparity and political oppression. In Singapore, such was the influence of social media that even pro-government newspapers (like the Singapore Straits Times) were forced to publish more photos of opposition campaigns and activities if only to maintain an image of credibility and objectivity. In a phrase, the digital generation gap has set in, with the youth (described by Lee Kuan Yew as a “footloose generation who only want to try their luck”) using cyberspace as the political battlefield to declare that other than economic progress, what they want is real democracy and thus, they will no longer put up with the oppressive political mold of old.

However, the case seems to be the reverse in the Philippines, where democracy has given people (some say too much) freedom and civil liberties but very little economic progress compared to the much wealthier Malaysia and Singapore. Filipino youth most especially are among the most digital savvy and know the power they yield with their Facebook, Twitter, blogs, the YouTube and every available media in cyberspace. The Philippines has been dubbed the social networking capital of the world, and the latest survey by consultancy firm TNS showed a 325 percent jump in the mobile access to micro-blogging sites  meaning more and more Filipinos (in particular people in their twenties) are sharing their thoughts online. In fact, information technology can virtually transform anybody with a smart phone into an instant photojournalist who can expose corruption from the lowliest barangay official to the hitherto untouchables in government.   

The 2010 elections underscored the growing dissatisfaction among Filipinos against old, traditional politicians perceived to be nothing more than talking heads spouting tired motherhood statements. Young, digital savvy voters expressed their clamor for change when they elected Noynoy Aquino to the presidency whose promise of a straight path and the vow to eradicate corruption resonated with many. It is clear that the digital information age is here to stay. The old days of “political BS” are over with politicians no longer able to get away with half-truths. Hopefully, this “young” Aquino administration will be able to bridge the gap between the old and the new idealist, digital savvy generation of Filipinos.

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